Mechanical Heartbeat
by Edlinklover
Summary: If only they didn't make it so a robotic heart could worry, since they can just throw it away at any time. [Open to interpretation Oliver and Fukase Android/Vocaloid AU]


Author's note:

I've had this minific half-finished for at least a year or two and today because of a particularly long bus-ride I managed to wrap it up. I thought it was a waste to let this lay around much longer. You can interpret this as Olikase or just friendship.

Also worthy of noting, they're both androids/Vocaloids in this fic.

* * *

Mist coated the far-off distance, obscuring it from view.

Oliver drew in a breath, shivering as a chill of excitement shot up his spine. Morning lay in wait but for now the sky was as dark as it was at night, the moon hidden somewhere amongst the clouds it was cloaked in.

Trudging up a hill, the dew-drenched grass crunched beneath the boy's bare feet. The world was blanketed in fog and it was times like these where it felt like the Earth had decided to stop its turning, if only for a bit.

As he walked, he heard a new pair of feet pressing into the blades of grass behind him.

Calmly, he turned to find a familiar face staring his way.

"Fukase," he said, his voice breathy as he spoke, "What are you doing here? It's still going to be a while till the sun comes up."

Coming to join him at the top of the hill, Fukase answered, "I was bored." He stuck his cane into the ground. "Also Point told me you were going somewhere."

Oliver said nothing and looked out into the distance.

Fukase swayed his body to the side, shifting most of his weight to one foot and leaning closer to Oliver, using his cane as support. "Couldn't sleep?"

He scratched the back of his head. "Sorta."

"Good, because I couldn't either."

Oliver shot him an incredulous look. "Has a day passed by that you could?"

He grinned. "Nope."

They had a short-lived laugh before it was swallowed by the silence. A gentle breeze sailed past them, teasing at their clothes and ruffling their hair.

Sighing with the wind, Oliver closed his eye and clutched at his arms, hugging them. His lips hinted at a smile.

"It's almost as if the wind has a song of its own, huh?"

Fukase went quiet, as if he was listening too.

"...I can't hear anything."

That instantly wiped the smile off of Oliver's face.

Lightly punching his shoulder, he hissed, "Then take those bleeding headphones off you bloke, I'm trying to be philosophical."

Fukase stuck his tongue out at him then pulled his headphones down, letting them sit around the base of his neck.

The pair stood there as the wind continued to blow and the beginnings of the morning began to tear into the sky.

Watching the scene unfold, Oliver once again wrapped his arms around himself; He had forgotten to bring a jacket.

The fog was starting to lift and he hated to see it go, letting another sigh pass as it did.

"What do you think would happen if we decided one day that we didn't want to sing anymore?"

Fukase looked at him blankly. The distance was still clouded in fog. No matter how hard Oliver stared, it was difficult to see much beyond the hill.

"Would we be thrown out?" he continued, "Deactivated? Singing is what we're meant for, right?" Smiling bitterly, he hugged himself tighter. "What am I saying? Of course we would."

The silence hung heavily in the air and the words left the dull taste of regret. He let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding.

"I'm scared," he said finally, "of being deactivated, of someone deciding that they don't need me to exist. It could happen at any time you know, and that's what scares me the most." He paused before shaking his head with a sharp exhale, another smile. "No, I think I'm more scared it'll happen to you too."

Fukase turned his head away, choosing to stare down at his cane and drum his fingers along the handle.

Lowering himself to the ground, Oliver sat and drew his knees close to his chest. "This is stupid. I don't get why we need these feelings."

He felt Fukase sit beside him. There was a rustling and then there was the sudden presence of a coat wrapped around him.

Surprised, Oliver looked at Fukase, who had also wrapped himself in the coat and was now extremely close.

"You seemed cold," he said, unperturbed.

The coat was more than enough for one person but could hardly fit in two. Regardless, Oliver pulled what he could of it closer and muttered a quiet "thank you".

"Mm-hm."

The pair watched as the sun rose from the horizon and the fog lifted considerably. The grass was shimmering in the bright morning light.

"Sometimes," Fukase started, hesitating," Sometimes I...worry 'bout that too..." His tone was flat, shifting to a mumble, as if saying this embarrassed him.

Oliver turned his head to look at him but Fukase was averting his gaze, folding in on himself. His thick coat usually covered most of his body, the messy paper cutout designs managing to give him a larger presence than someone his physique should have, but in the light of the dawn he looked frail, skin so pale it stole whatever color it was given. He looked as vulnerable as the falter in his voice.

As if consoling him, Oliver leaned into his shoulder. Fukase didn't react, neither pushing him away nor expressing surprise.

He closed his eye, listening to the soft whirr of the gears working beneath the skin and the faint beating of a mechanical heart. There was no reason for one to have been installed in either of them, it was just a sentimental touch but nonetheless, it was a touch that Oliver appreciated.

Fukase's heart kept beating and the gears kept whirring. Oliver heard the echo of his words drift back to him with a gentle smile.

 _It's as if it has a song of its own._


End file.
